Greenbuddies Tips – January 2023
- Europe implemented the first major national subsidy initiatives stemming from the so-called Green Deal
- According to SolarPower Europe, 41.4 GW of solar plants were installed in the EU in 2022, a 47 % increase from the 28.1 GW installed in 2021.
- The largest European PV plant, the ‘Francisco Pizarro’ project of 590 MW in Extremadura, Spain, has achieved operational status.
- Greenbuddies had a very strong presence in three of the five biggest European Solar markets in 2022: Germany (7.9 GW), Spain (7.5 GW), Poland (4.9 GW), The Netherlands (4.0 GW), and France (2.7 GW) with 600 MW installed in these markets.
- The Czech Republic (our domestic market) has emerged from the total limbo it had been in since 2012, with over 250 MW installed and a forecast of 2.5 new GW in the coming year.
By shifting our attention 50:50 to Czech EPC projects and European-wide projects of varied complexity, we are implementing our strategy to assist Key European players in achieving climatic goals in the upcoming year.
We tripled our yearly statistics pretty quickly between 2017 and 2022, but with the state of the current solar market, we are now going vertical!
I hope you enjoy reading our newsletter and our Market Footprint 4Q/2022!
Aleš Spáčil
Chief Sales Buddy
GBCh kick-off meeting in the new year 2023
Our entire team at Greenbuddies Charging had a very busy year in 2022, especially its second half. With both new and old clients, partners, and customers, mostly in Austria and Germany but also in the domestic Czech market, we proceeded to build our commercial ties and carry out orders that had been agreed upon.
In order to consistently provide our clients with the best value for their money in these uncertain times, we have engaged in several talks with suppliers of the technologies we utilise for the installation of our solutions. Along with the more conventional sectors, such as rooftop, ground-mounted photovoltaics, and EV charging stations, interest in solar carports and battery storage has grown. These are all markets where, in collaboration with our technology partners and other partners, we have something to offer.
Greenbuddies Charging workshop in Vienna
Based on an examination of the general state of our business, our projections for 2023 include the assumption that demand growth will continue to be quite robust. As a result of the growing amount of work in all areas, we have decided to hold a workshop for our complete team on the 9th and 10th of January. This is so that we can manage the growing amount of work in all areas. In addition to focusing on important issues, this was a pleasant occasion to finally see our colleagues from Vienna and Amsterdam after the forced absence of face-to-face meetings for the previous two years. Of course, strengthening ties between specific co-workers in sales, sales support, implementation, engineering, and purchasing was one of the key goals.
The fact that our Dutch colleagues accepted our invitation makes me very happy. Together, we will try to concentrate more on the Benelux region this year, which has, in our opinion, great potential for integrated solutions in addition to its photovoltaics, which our business provides as part of the Greenbuddies group.
On Monday afternoon we gathered in the conference room of the Tanzberg Hotel and had a packed agenda. We mostly discussed our projects’ technical and product aspects during this meeting. Naturally, we had to take advantage of the venue’s selection and continue our conversations thereafter the about three-hour session. It should come as no surprise that it was both a delightful and useful evening because we had obtained a sampling of the products of one of the local winemakers’ labour there.
On Tuesday morning, we travelled to the Peak Vienna administrative complex, the headquarters of our Austrian business partner, Business Natives. We then spent the majority of the day in a representative meeting room on the 25th floor with a stunning view of Vienna, thanks to the kindness of our Viennese colleagues. The exchange of knowledge and experience between the various departments was the main highlight. We also talked about ways to enhance collaboration and communication, became familiar with the work schedule for the coming year, and covered a variety of other subjects.
In conclusion, we all felt well-aligned and prepared to continue our work together as a team when we departed Vienna. I do not doubt that this will show in the excellent outputs we strive for and, consequently, evident in the level of client satisfaction with our services. We anticipate working productively with every one of you in the upcoming year!
Aleš Damm
Chief Charging Buddy
Q&A Session with Greenbuddies
As our Greenbuddies team in the planning and building phase is growing each month, we would like to introduce our newest additions with the following questionnaire.
Sales Buddy Jan Textor – young professional with a background in electrical engineering in charge of the Greenbuddies Charging sales team
Development Buddy Michael Červenka – an expert in the area or real estate development, now focused on dvelopment of new PV in the Czech Republic
Sales Buddy David Václavík – the youngest addition to our sales support team, with a backgrounf in economics and environmental studies
From Jan, Micheal, and David’s comments to our Q&A, you may learn more about them below.
Jan Textor
• What was your first impression of Greenbuddies?
That they were a professional, competent, and, above all, a friendly team of people who enjoy their work and are not afraid of any new challenges.
• What’s your personal philosophy on what should be done about the Renewables/Solar industry?
Simplifying legislation and removing unnecessary bureaucracy would certainly help the solar industry. Fortunately, this is already being done to some extent, but I think it is still not enough. Also, more support from the government for PV installations other than just rooftops/free fields. There is a growing interest in PV carports, and I think it should be supported more.
• What do you do when you aren’t working?
Nothing out of the ordinary, I’d say. I enjoy watching a good movie or a TV show. I also try to be active and play some sports, especially tennis or table tennis and skiing in the winter, if there is time. And naturally, I like to go out for a good meal and drink with my friends or cook something for them at home.
Michael Červenka
• Tell me how you first got involved in with Greenbuddies?
I’m an expert in real estate development. I always chose projects that appealed to me not only for their profitability but also for the quality of their content: ideas, interesting locations, quality architecture, social utility, and environmental sustainability. These are the things that interest me. Greenbuddies appealed to me due to their similar approach, perfect economic foundation, well-set management, and a dynamic, growing industry that sustainably addresses the very pressing needs of all of us.
• What was your first impression of Greenbuddies?
My first impression was that they were The Unstoppables! The Greenbuddies’ motto is fulfilled without fail by a group of determined professionals with a healthy passion and enthusiasm for their work, who even when performing difficult tasks do not lose their optimism and faith in success and the meaning of what they do. These are the people I want to meet and work with.
• If you could change one thing about the Solar Industry, what would it be?
The Building Act and capacity in the electricity system. How? In the case of the Building Act, it is necessary to simplify the permitting procedure as much as possible and shorten the RES permitting deadlines. For the grid, we need transparency and faster capacity additions.
For the rest, we have our own methodology and the sun, which has reliably supplied energy to our planet for more than 4,500,002,023 years!
David Václavík
• What is your personal philosophy on what should be done about the Renewables/Solar industry?
In the first place, I believe that renewable energy generally should not be associated with politics. According to what I’ve seen, the first thing that comes to people’s minds, at least in the Czech Republic, is the Green Deal or government subsidies, and renewable power plants are frequently viewed as a public enemy, and plant owners are viewed as thieves because they “received” money for it. On the other hand, I believe that renewables and ecology in general are great tools for independence, be it through changes in electricity prices, protection against blackouts in case of a catastrophe, or providing energy in remote areas. Personally, I do not think we should go all green in a snap of a finger, but different kinds of renewables should be smartly incorporated into all new building projects and developments, even in the commercial sphere.
• Tell me about someone who has influenced your decision to work with Greenbuddies.
That someone is actually me:) I graduated from economics, environmental science, human geography, and computer science; and being in the sales department of a company that builds solar power plants, It’s a dream job where I can, on a daily basis, apply all the areas that interest me and that I have learned about in the past!
• What do you think will change about the PV sector over the next five years?
I believe that over the next five years, we will see huge advances both in PV technology as well as its usage. Be it Perovskite crystals, which promise significantly higher PV module efficiency, see-through panels, or even more. Recently, there has been news about creating PV cloth. This would allow for much wider possible applications, from electricity-generating windows to even wearable power generators.
